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Pouring Concrete Slab in a small rickety garage.

4K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  RORO 
#1 ·
Hello all. I just joined this forum to see if I could get any input regarding an upcoming project.

I am trying to pour a concrete slab floor in a small 10x20’ garage in Brooklyn.
It’s a freestanding 2-car garage, 2 separate conjoined garages. I am renting half of the garage. The other half has a crumbling concrete floor. I’m imagining someone removed the concrete on my side previous to my occupation.

The garage isn’t very well built, cinderblock walls and big wood beam rafters.
It seems to be slowly falling apart, a couple of the walls have an ever-so-slight lean, but I think it will be a long while before the structure gives.
It might not sound like a good idea to put money into such a space, but I’m ok with the cost/benefit analysis, and the owner is ok with me doing this.
I know little about building construction, but the cinder block walls don’t seem to be supported by footings or anything. They were built atop a slab, which was removed before I moved in.

The garage has a dirt floor with a crumbling concrete “curb” against the walls along the entire perimeter of the space, presumably for supporting the walls (?).

We dug, excavated, and finally tamped the floor with a vibratory plate compactor. In the process we removed the deteriorating “curb” that I mentioned before, with the intent to replace it.

I’m writing here to see if anyone can shed any light on the process of pouring the slab, which will need to be poured all the way against the existing 3 walls. (The 4th wall is a garage door.)

Our plan was to stake in a wooden 2x4 “gate” into the dirt at the garage door, and have a truck come in and pour concrete into the space and while we walk around in the mix and spread it into corners, against the walls and outer-gate. We were planning on working from the inside out, spreading the mix into corners and walls starting at the back of the garage and dragging a 2x4 to strike-off the slab as we exit. Finally, we would bull-float from the outside of the garage.

After the slab dries, we would then replace the curb. Is there anything we can do to help support these cinderblock walls that don't have footings? I thought about digging a trench around the perimeter of the garage, along the walls, to serve as a footing for the curb (that hypothetically provides support for the walls). I dont feel digging around unsupported cinderblock walls is such a good idea though.

I'm essentially trying to replace a slab of concrete that unfooted cinderblock walls once stood on top of.

Does this seem like a good process? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
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